About Siobhan (Slimming Eats)

My Story

Hey there! I’m Siobhan, the creator of Slimming Eats and the person behind all the recipes you see here. I develop, test, cook, and photograph every recipe on this site.

I was born in London but have also lived in Ireland, various places in England, and now reside in Ontario, Canada, with my husband, two children, and two cats.

I’ve tried many diets in the past, and while I was successful at losing weight, I often found it hard to maintain in the long run. I went through cycles of losing weight, then gaining it back. What I’ve come to realise is that if it feels like a diet, it’s not maintainable. If you want to lose weight and keep it off, it has to be a lifestyle change—one you can maintain forever.

I was pretty slim until about age 16, but a lifestyle filled with too many takeaways and unhealthy choices caused my weight to gradually creep up.

Fast forward through years of yo-yo dieting, getting married, and having my first child in 2006. I fell under the misconception that you can eat whatever you want while pregnant—well, you can, but not without consequences—and the weight piled on massively.

I had a traumatic birth experience, and looking back, I’m certain I suffered from PND, which only added to the weight gain and my overall unhappiness. Seeing photos of myself with my son made me feel depressed and unhealthy.

The before picture you see here is from my heaviest, a time when I was very sad and miserable despite having a beautiful little boy.

The Start of Slimming Eats

A few months after that picture, I started another diet, which was disrupted by a move to Canada. Adjusting to new foods and larger portion sizes while settling into a new country, far from family and friends, was tough.

It was seeing a photo of myself holding my son on a day out at a lake near our home in Canada that made me realise I needed to make a change, not just for myself, but for my son too.

A good friend of mine back in the UK introduced me to Slimming World, and although there were no meetings in Canada, I signed up online. I was sceptical at first—how could I lose weight while eating such delicious 'free' foods? But I trusted the process, and the weight started to come off.

In 2010, much slimmer and healthier, I fell pregnant with my daughter. Determined not to go back to how I was before, I stuck to balanced, healthy meals throughout my pregnancy, only gaining around 12 lbs and fitting back into my pre-pregnancy clothes a week after she was born. It was a completely different experience from my first pregnancy, where I was overweight, had high blood pressure, and felt generally unwell.

One thing I found was that most low calorie recipes were tasteless, far too restrictive, or simply not inspiring—especially for a family. The last thing you want to do, especially with a busy schedule, is cook separate meals. So, for me, it was important that my family could enjoy the food I cooked too.

That motivation led me to start my blog in 2009, which soon became Slimming Eats.

Through this journey, I discovered my real passion for cooking (which is probably one of the reasons I became overweight in the first place!). I’m not a trained or experienced chef by any means—just a mum who loves to cook. I also enjoy the challenge of converting my all-time favourite meals into healthier versions that the whole family can enjoy. But the best part has been sharing these recipes with others, so they can enjoy them as much as I do. The support I’ve received from you, my readers, has been amazing.

Slimming Eats has over 900 delicious low calorie recipes to help you on your journey.

Below you can see a before and after pic of my journey:

How am I doing now?

In 2018, I lost a parent to dementia, a heartbreaking experience. With dementia, you grieve twice—first to the illness and then again when they pass. Living so far away only made this more difficult.

By late 2019, I wasn’t feeling well, with fatigue and other symptoms. After many tests, I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism and Hashimoto’s, on top of the PCOS I had already been living with.

Just as I was adjusting to new medication, the COVID pandemic hit, bringing new challenges. While I’m not at my goal weight yet, I’ve realised that being healthy is not about the number on the scale—it’s about how you feel. In the past, I obsessed over that number, weighing myself several times a day, but it can fluctuate for many reasons, and obsessing over it can lead to emotional eating.

Since starting my journey in 2009, I’ve completely transformed my eating habits. While I no longer follow Slimming World—having found that some aspects of the plan no longer fit my lifestyle—I now focus on healthy, balanced meals that are rich in protein where possible. Rather than following strict rules, I aim to avoid overly processed or artificial foods, but I also believe in flexibility. No food is off-limits, because achieving long-term health is about finding a balance that works for you.

My approach is based on making sustainable choices that are easy to maintain in everyday life. That’s why I’m committed to using "real" ingredients in most of my recipes—they offer more nutrition, taste better, and are more fulfilling than overly restrictive or artificial substitutes. I’ve learned that healthy eating doesn’t have to be boring or complicated; it’s about creating nourishing meals that you can enjoy, and that your whole family will love too. Whether you're looking for quick weeknight dinners or meals to prep ahead, Slimming Eats has over 900 recipes to help you on your journey to better health.

My biggest piece of advice is: don't compare yourself to others—this is your journey, and everyone’s path is different. Focus on embracing healthy eating with sensible portions, and see it as a long-term lifestyle change, not a quick fix. It doesn’t matter if you take the slower, scenic route—what truly matters is making steady progress towards better health, at your own pace. Remember, it’s not about perfection; it’s about creating habits that you can sustain and enjoy for the rest of your life.